


Keep your friends close...

by kurushi



Category: Final Fantasy XIII-2
Genre: Crushes, Difficult Decisions, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-25
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-05-09 05:09:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5526614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurushi/pseuds/kurushi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The time capsule is nearly ready, and Hope has to be sure he's making this decision for the right reasons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Keep your friends close...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NightsMistress](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightsMistress/gifts).



> No beta, sorry! I hope I caught most of the issues by myself.

Sitting in the dark and brooding wasn't Hope's usual modus operandi, but the time capsule was nearing completion and the Academy was going to have to make a decision. As current acting Director, that ultimately fell to Hope. This was the fruit of Hope's own work, his own direction for the Academy. A place of acting on knowledge and research, for the betterment of humanity.

It was not as if Hope would be killing his father. But if Hope went, then a few weeks in Hope's personal future, his father would have been dead for hundreds of years. He was not sure how he felt about that, or whether the sinking hole in his stomach at the thought of it was just the memory of his mom's death.

There was also, he didn't know how to put his finger on it. All the others had been chosen, or cursed, by the gods. They traveled through time. They were going to be there, together, to save the world again. Hope had been left behind. He'd been proud of it. The one person from their close-knit group from the fall of Cocoon who had believed in humanity's power to build their own future. Hope had come to trust his father's judgement, to trust the people who had turned on him during the Purge. He had come to see himself as a leader. That means that you hold the lead, follow the dog, and try to make sure it doesn't get hit by a car. Right? A great leader has to trust people. 

He had been in his office, alone at night, for too long. The sensor lights had timed out, and his legs, well. He felt reluctant to get up or move, until he knew what he was about to walk into. He couldn't keep his technicians guessing much longer. They needed to prepare the time capsule with biometrics. 

He had to admit that he mostly felt uneasy at the idea of leaving Alyssa behind. It was a mixture of strange things. First he faced the nice feeling. Perky, cute, silly Alyssa who did her best to keep him distracted. Her hair was, well. He'd never wanted to bury his hands in anybody else's hair before. It was a feeling that still took some getting used to. It was a terrible idea, to take along somebody that he had a crush on. Ethics. Power issues. Hey, I'll just isolate you from everyone you've ever known and let's go to a strange creepy future and... no. 

The second feeling took some time to admit. Hope chased it around his gut, in the reluctant curl of his toes in his shoes. Discomfort. Uncertainty. Fear. Distrust. Sometimes, Alyssa had a too-keen sharpness in her eye. She was always a little too interested in anything to do with time travel. A depseration showed through. Hope didn't think she was an informant for any of the Academy's political enemies, but there was something wrong there. He couldn't leave her behind, leave the problem for somebody else to fix. Hope's father was too busy, and there wasn't anyone left he really trusted to run things right. Because they had all run off, to be big exciting heroes in the future. 

Alyssa's boots clicked in the hall. She cast a shadow on the glass wall of Hope's office. The lights flickered on, as she stepped in and triggered the sensor. 

"Oh!" She raised her hands in surprise."You are here!" 

Hope smiled, and fell into the easy, relaxed but professional expression he had perfected when appealing for funding. 

"Were you looking for me?" 

She shrugged. "May-be." 

Hope tidied some papers - had no idea what was on them - and slid them into his desk drawer. "I was lost in thought. The time capsule. It's a big decision." 

Alyssa cocked her head, and peered out from under her long fringe - soft brown hair - at his face. "I thought you were all for it? Seeing your friends again!" 

Hope nodded, pushing his chair back, standing up to escape the thrill of her attention. "I am. But also, there's capacity to take more than one person." 

Along with everything else, Alyssa was also quite remarkably good at her job. She was adaptable. She had good recall for facts. She made friends quickly, which was not always a skill that Hope had under pressure. She was flawed and unpredictable, and could be useful to humanise his image. Hope would be a historical figure, a myth. Alyssa would be a person. 

That was the best choice, then. It was a happy accident that he got to take his crush on a date to show off all the clever things he had set in motion. Also that he would be able to relax, with his potential traitor locked in the capsule with him. 

"Oh? Do you have anyone in mind?" She placed a coy finger on her lips, and raised her eyebrows. 

He laughed, and shook his head. "Could I take anyone else?" 

She squealed, and bounced, and grabbed his arm. If what he was doing was cruel, then he was simply a perfect match for that sharp hungry look she got in her eyes, when she thought he wasn't watching her. 

He leaned into her, let himself enjoy it. Life was short. This was his chance to let go of the reigns and do what very few directors could; leave his people to their own devices and trust in them to achieve greatness. To use their hearts and minds, instead of his own. 

"This is just perfect, you know!" Alyssa had something different in her eyes. There was a new bounce to her step, as she led him out of the building. "Director! Sir! I've got to buy you dinner. Say yes." 

"Yes," he said. She tugged on his arm, and laughed in joy when he followed.


End file.
